I choose the term Collaboration Cascade to describe the point at which subject/grade level teams (PLCs or PNLCs) reach a tipping point or threshold when the collaboration of some can cause a cascade of collaboration and cooperation from those who have not been participating or who have been hoarding their information, knowledge, and insight. This is the point of the Collaboration Cascade, a “cascade” of collaboration as more members begin to move from non-participation to participation, from hoarding to sharing, from non-cooperation to cooperation.

The tipping point or threshold at which teams reach the collaboration cascade will be different and unique for each group, governed by the unique group dynamics of that particular team, PLC, or PNLC.

The self-interest of the individual competes against the group dynamics that require members to collaborate, cooperate, share, and participate. For many members their collaboration is contingent on the collaboration of others. In other words, some members will in essence say, “You go first.” Their collaboration will require others to first demonstrate their willingness to collaborate. The question is what conditions must exist to create the tipping point or for members to reach their threshold to create a Collaboration Cascade?

I put the question, “What conditions must exist before you will step-out and share your ideas and collaborate with others? What makes you share?” to my Twitter PLN.
Here are some of the responses.

@maverickwoman I was born to share- I don't think about it- its like
an internal software driving my behaviour- a natural connector

@JBrandon building off the ideas of others, and not being afraid of people telling me my ideas are too "out of the box."

February 16, 2009

Information takes form as we write it, draw it, act it out, or verbalize it. But often our students confuse the form as the information. For example, a newspaper is not information, but the message it carries is. A hand gesture telling us to stop is not information, but the message it conveys is.

As the number of forms information takes continues to increase via technology, the question is and interesting one to ask and an important distinction that our students should know. The form is not the information. The message contained within the form is.